The English-Chinese Garden
The English-Chinese Garden is located in the southern part of the Wilanów grounds. It can be reached from the Rose Garden or by walking south from the Upper Terrace of the Baroque Garden. Designed by Szymon Bogumił Zug, the picturesque English-Chinese Garden was established ca. 1784 on the orders of Izabella Lubomirska to replace one of the former palace farms. It has an irregular layout with winding paths near a pond, and has some richly varied vegetation. The English-Chinese Garden comprises the Mount of Bacchus – in King Jan III’s day it was overgrown with vines and crowned by a statue of Bacchus (the god of wine). The figure of Bacchus has since been replaced by a statue of Victory.
The spacious glades of the south park boast the oldest trees, including stately 200-year-old oaks and many exotic species such as the katsura trees (Cercidiphyllum japonicum), catalpas (Catalpa sp.), gingkos (Ginkgo biloba), tulip trees (Liriodendron tulipifera) or honey locust trees (Gleditschia triacanthos).
Go south to reach the Potok Służewiecki stream with its banks lined by magnificent elms, black alders and lime trees as well as the original pin oaks. Cross the footbridge to enter the buildings of a former palace farm owned by Stanisław Kostka Potocki. The Park is framed from the south by the Cup-Bearer’s Lodge and the neo-gothic facade of the Byre. Go east along the stream to reach the Cascade and on to where the empties into the lake.
The Pond is one of the oldest surviving elements in this section of the Park as it had existed in King Jan III’s day and was probably used for some practical purpose. Today, it is a perfect spot for the strollers to sit back and relax, especially when the magnificent water lilies are in bloom.
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Wilanów Residence
The Wilanów residence is composed of the palace, its decorations and works of art, gardens and sculptures located in the park and also numerous buildings and monuments raised in the location since 1677. A visit to Wilanów, be it virtual or real, provides an opportunity to experience the core of our tradition that is also a part of the common European culture.
Proprietors of the palace: from a king to a custodian
The Wilanów Palace, its beautiful gardens and buildings located in the park as well as the amassed works of art all constitute records of history. The venue commemorates Jan III, a warrior-king and at the same time a lover of books and paintings, a well-educated patron of art vividly interested in science. His memory was kept alive by Stanisław Kostka Potocki, an outstanding politician and founder of the Wilanów Museum.
The English Landscape Park
In 1799-1821, Stanisław Kostka Potocki and his wife Aleksandra have their Park extended to the north in a then-fashionable English …
